Learning theories and their importance in raising the quality of learning during the preschool stage: Constructivist theory

preschoolers.info

1 Sep, 2024

Preschool Childcare Development Education Curriculum Milestones Activities Learning Caregiving Playtime

Learning theories and their importance in raising the quality of learning during the preschool stage Constructivist theory

In the beginning:

Learning theories are a set of theories and ideas that seek to understand how individuals acquire and develop knowledge and skills over time. Understanding these theories is essential in many fields, including education, psychology, and sociology, as they help guide, renew, and improve learning processes. Historically, learning theories have evolved through many different schools and ideas, leading to a variety of foundations. These theories aim to shed light on learning processes and explain them in different ways, whether they focus on the behavioral, psychological, social, or cultural aspects that influence the learning experience. Understanding learning theories will help educators improve teaching methods and adapt to children's needs and responses, and will help guide scientific research that aims to understand the nature of learning and identify the factors that influence it. We will briefly cover some of the most important learning theories and provide an overview of how they influence the field of education and their importance in improving the quality of learning. The importance of studying learning theories for teachers lies in several reasons to understand the learning process: Learning theories help teachers understand how children learn and internalize information and concepts, and allow for activation methods according to children's skills and needs. Using theories about the learning process, teachers can develop the most effective and child-friendly activation methods. Meeting learning challenges: Teachers face many challenges while teaching children. By studying learning theories, teachers can identify potential barriers that children may face in their learning and determine appropriate methods to address these challenges. Improve interactions with children: Understanding learning theories helps teachers interact better with children and understand their needs and interests, which teachers can adopt.
Teaching methods. Encourage communication and learning: Learning theories are constantly evolving with the development of research and technology, and knowledge of these developments helps teachers keep up with the latest teaching methods and techniques, which is an important foundation for improving teaching skills by enabling and providing more effective learning experiences for preschoolers.

Constructivist theory :

It is a theory based on the principle that learning is an active act, and that the construction of knowledge is based on previous knowledge (experiences, representations, and perceptions). Within the framework of this theory, the learner is at the center of the teaching-learning process and builds his knowledge solely on his own through observation, selection, hypothesis formulation, analysis, and conclusion. The founder of this theory is : Jean Piaget. One of its most important features is that it restored the consideration of the learning self, by focusing on the representations “perceptions”, with which the learner enters the school, and therefore the stimulus may lead to responses that differ according to the different learning self and learning in this school is related to the assimilation of new information, then the adaptation between the learning self and the new knowledge, and then balance and adaptation is achieved. Constructivist theory emphasizes that the learner is the source of knowledge construction, as he analyzes and experiences new information in his personal context to be able to understand and assimilate it more deeply and thus, learning is an active and completely subjective experience. Constructivist theory shows the importance of trial and error in the learning process, as learners can construct concepts and ideas according to what they discover on their own, and build inferences through their own experiences.

This theory requires appropriate support and motivation for learners to be able to explore knowledge and build their own understanding of the world around them. Constructivist education encourages active learning and active participation in the learning process. Constructivist theory (as stated in the definition of the Moroccan Pedagogical Manual) is based on the consideration that the learner constructs knowledge solely on his own, observes, selects, formulates hypotheses, analyzes, makes decisions, organizes, deduces and integrates his new learning into his internal cognitive or mental structure. The constructivist theory believes that the learner constructs his learning through interaction with his environment according to a chronological sequence that is framed by the conflict between previous knowledge and subsequent acquisitions according to sequential stages.

Concepts of Constructivism:

Here are some of the concepts of constructivist learning theory:

Active Constructivism: Indicates that the learner is involved in constructing their own knowledge based on their personal experiences and prior knowledge. Thus, learning is based on activity, interaction, and active participation by the learner.

Prior knowledge: A learner's prior knowledge is an important foundation in the learning process. When a learner learns something new, he/she connects this knowledge to his/her previous knowledge, thereby contributing to a deeper and more comprehensive understanding.

Reasoning: A constructivist approach encourages the learner to use their reasoning and critical thinking skills to process information and solve issues.

Ongoing learning: A constructivist approach emphasizes the importance of learning being a continuous process where the learner continues to build and develop knowledge over time.

Guidance and assistance: The role of the teacher in this theory is very important. The teacher should be supportive and guide the learners and help them build knowledge and understand concepts and information.

Mistakes and feedback: Mistakes and feedback are considered learning opportunities in the constructivist approach. When a learner encounters difficulties or makes mistakes, by interacting with these mistakes, they can build a deeper and more accurate understanding of the concepts. The constructivist approach aims to encourage active learning and foster students' personal understanding of concepts and knowledge, and is considered one of the foundations of modern education and effective teaching methodologies.

Principles of Constructivism:

Constructivism is an educational approach that emphasizes that it is the learner who constructs knowledge and understanding based on their personal experiences and interactions with the environment and social and cultural surroundings.
There are a number of key principles of constructivism:

The role of the active learner: The active learner is the primary source of knowledge construction, as he/she participates in the process of discovering concepts and ideas and building inferences through his/her personal experiences. Building new concepts and understanding. Building on previous knowledge Constructivist theory emphasizes the importance of utilizing the learner's previous knowledge and experiences in

Readiness and maturity: Constructivist theory considers that learning is most effective when the learner is ready to learn and able to assimilate new concepts and information based on their own developmental stages. Attention to context Constructivist theory emphasizes that the social and cultural context and interactions with the environment influence the process of learning and understanding information. In.

Active and collaborative learning: The constructivist approach encourages active learning through learners' active participation in the learning process, interacting and collaborating with others.

Personalized and customized learning: The constructivist approach emphasizes that learning is a personal and individualized process, where the style and level of learning varies from person to person based on their different experiences and needs. Promote autonomy and critical thinking: Constructivism encourages learners to develop critical thinking skills and rely on themselves to construct knowledge and understand the world around them.

The educational applications of constructivism vary between different fields and different ages, and these basic principles are an important basis for designing the educational process in a way that encourages effective and sustainable learning.

The pedagogical application of constructivism:

Constructivism is a theory that emphasizes the role of the learner in constructing knowledge and interacting with the environment and experiences to understand the world around them. For early education educators, the pedagogical application of constructivism can be useful in enhancing the learning experience of young children and encouraging them to interact with the environment and build their own concepts and knowledge.
Here are some points that early childhood educators can keep in mind when applying constructivism:

Interaction and participation: The educator encourages children to actively participate in learning activities and encourages interaction between children themselves and between children and their surroundings.

Create a learning environment that stimulates thinking: The educator can create a learning environment that stimulates creative thinking and encourages the exploration of materials and concepts in a variety of ways.

Active learning and projects: Educational activities can be organized that encourage children to participate in hands-on experiences and learning projects, which helps build their understanding of topics and concepts.

Inquiry and discovery: The teacher can encourage children's inquiry skills and support them in discovering knowledge on their own instead of providing ready-made knowledge.

Cooperative learning: Cooperative learning and group work can be encouraged to encourage social interaction and knowledge sharing among children.

Observational feedback and evaluation: The educator helps children reflect on their experiences and engagements, and provides feedback to reinforce learning and improve understanding.

Problem-based learning: Children can be presented with issues and challenges that motivate them to think and innovate to find creative solutions.

Respect and self-esteem: The educator boosts children's self-esteem and respects their individual learning paths.

Posture:

It's a good idea for early childhood educators to be familiar with constructivist learning methods and strategies, as they can adopt this pedagogical approach to promote active and interactive learning in children and build a strong foundation for their future education.

For example, suppose a child sees a crocodile for the first time, what will happen in this case according to the constructivist theory, the child captures a mental image of that crocodile and sends it to his mind (cognitive or mental drawings), here what is called “representation” occurs. Since the image of the crocodile does not exist in the child's mental schema, the child cannot recognize the crocodile and falls into a state of disequilibrium. Then the educator comes and introduces him to the name of the crocodile and how it lives its life, here the child experiences what we called “fitting” which in turn leads to “adaptation” directly after that the child enters the (new) state of balance and achieving harmony between him and his environment.